Etching-machine.



, PATENTED SEE'T. 29,1903.

w. G. THORPE, ETGHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4, 1903'.

' H0 MODEL.

FIG. 4.

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i-Io. 740,204..

U T STATES Patented September 29, 1903;

PA ENT OFFICE.

WILLARD c. :rnoarn, or ST. PAUL, MnvnEso'rA, Assieno'n or ONE-HALF TO WALTER C. FISHER, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA. V

ETCHING- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 740,204, dated September 29, 1903. Application filed J ans 4:, 1903- Serial No. 160 106; (No model.)

To all whom it may concern/.-

Be it'known that I, WILLARD G. THORPE, a

citizen of the United States, residing at St.v

Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of- Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Etching-Machines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled'in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in etching-machines; and the main object of the invention is to provide an etching-machine in which the acids or chemicals will fall with some force and even distribution upon the surface to be etched and greatly speed the progress of the work. This and other objects I attain by the novel construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is aside elevation of my etchingmachine with the side door or lid 17 open and swung down slightly below a level position and with the pump-cylinder 30 in vertical dia-- metrical section. Fig. 2 is a top view of Fig. 1 with many interior parts more or less indi cated in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the main body of the machine, about as on the line a a. in Fig. 1, with the cover of the acid-distributor 49 removed and many other parts omitted. Fig. iisa detail view of the perforated bottoms of the acid, distributer.

Referring to the drawings by referencenumerals, 1 is a box or cabinet adapted to,

stand on legs or upon a work-bench or table. Ithas a depending well or reservoir 2 projecting below its bottom. The bottom 3 of the cabinet is inclined toward the well, so that any acid falling upon the bottom runs into the Well through the spout 5 after being strained through the rubber strainer 4. (Best shown in Fig. 3.) Upon the bottom 3 is placed suitable framework 6, to which are pivoted the lower ends of links 7, whose upper ends are pivoted to a board or elevator 8, upon which the plate 9 is placed to be etched; The elevator or board 8 may be raised and retained at various elevations by means of a dog 10, engaging notches in the bottom 3 or the frame 6, or a notched rod 11 may be pivoted to the board 8 and extend outward through an'apertnrein the front of the cabinet, so that it may be operated from the out side and have any of its notches engage the teeth 12. 66

The front side of the cabinet has a vertically-sliding glass-paneled door 13, guided in the standards 14, and may be held elevated by swinging the latch 15, pivoted on the top of the cabinet, in under the end of the door,

as in dotted line in Fig. 2. Thebaok wall of the cabinet may have glass panels or not. The right-hand side should preferably have a glazed door. The left-hand side is shown to have the downwardly-folding door 17, with glass panel 18, and is hinged at 19 to the lower part of the side or wall which has the glass panel 20, through which the parts 6 7 8 are seen in Fig. 1. 21 is a latch for holding the 7 door 17 when shut. The top of the cabinet is 7 5 provided with an opening 22, from which may extend a pipe (not shown) to carry away the odor of the chemicals. It also has a larger opening closed by the lid 23, hinged at 24.- and held closedby the latch 25.

' Near the top of the cabinet is provided a. reservoir 26, into which the etching fluid is pumped through the piping 27 28 29 by a douhie-acting pump whose cylinder 30 has the piston 31, which when operated draws the fluid from the well 2 through the foot-valve 32 into the upper end of the cylinder and drives it thence upward through the pipe 29, while through the foot-valve 33 the fluid enters the lower end of the cylinder and is expelled through the pipe 28. (The valves of such pumps being well known are not clearly shown or described.)

The piston 31- is operated by the rod 34 35 and the walking-beam 36, fulcrumed in a 5 frame 37, secured upon the top of the cabinet. The beam is operated by the pitman 38 and crank 39 of a crank-shaft 40, journaled in the stands 41, one of which is preferably braced to the frame 37. The shaft 40 is turned roo slowly by the wheel or pulley 16, which may be run by a belt from a small pulley or by the handle 42 as a hand-crank.

The rear end of the walking-beam 36 operates by a rod 44 a bell-crank lever 45, fulcrumed at 46 upon the rearward projection 47 of the base of the cabinet, and with its longest arm pushes and pulls the horizontal rod 48, of which the front end is secured to a box 49, usually called the acid-distributor, which is at each end provided with a supporting roller or wheel 50, riding on the horizontal bars or rails 51, secured with their ends in the corners of the cabinet.

The acid-distributer 49 is normally covered,

and the acid or etching fluid is let down into it from the reservoir 26 through the swiveljointed piping 53, which allows free motion of the distributer upon its rails 51.

The bottom 54 of the distributer is made of hard rubber or any other material which will best resist the effect of the chemicals and is corrugated or grooved longitudinally and perforated in the grooves. are made with large perforations, as in Fig. 4, for coarse work and with closer and finer perforations, as in Fig. 3, for fine work or etching. The bottoms may be inserted into grooves 55 in the distributer through the open end of the distributer. The opening is then closed by the hinged door 56, shown 'in Fig. l in the open position and having a latch 57, adapted to interlock with a hook 58.

59 represents etching fluid running down from the distributer. 60 isa faucet by which to empty and clean out old etching fluid from the well through a hose (not shown) leading from the faucet to a sink. 61 is a slotted plate secured at the rear of the cabinet and serving to guide and steady therod 48, which passes through it. 62 is a knob in the slidingdoor 13 to raise it with, and 63 is a similar knob in the lid 23.

It is evident that the pulley 16, crankshaft, pump, levers, rods, walking-beam, and many other parts may be much varied or changed without diverging from the spirit and scope of myinvention, as will be more fully understood from the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An etching-machine having an acid-distributer consisting of a vessel with perforated bottom, and moving horizontally above the work to be etched, and means for imparting a horizontal movement to the distributer, and means for returning the distributed acid to the distributer again.

2. An etching-machine having an acid-distributer consisting of a vessel with corrugated or grooved bottom and perforations therein, moving horizontally above the work The bottoms to be etched, and means for imparting a horizontal movement to the distributer, and means for returning the distributed acid to the distributor again.

3. Au etching-machine having a horizontally-moving acid-distributor consisting of a vessel with detachable, interchangeable, perforated bottoms of various fineness, and means imparting a horizontal motion to the distributor.

4. An etching-machine having an elevated acid-distributer consisting of a vessel with perforated bottom, and below the same a vertically-adjustable support for the plate or work to be etched, so that the distance the fluid has to fall may be varied, said distributer having a horizontal movement, and means for imparting such movement.

5. An etching-machine comprising in combination a suitable cabinet or inclosure with an inclined bottom, a well communicating with the lower part of the bottom, a horizontallyrmoving acid-distributer consisting of a vessel with perforated bottom some distance up in the cabinet, a pump drawing the etching fluid from the well to a point above the acid-distributor and allowing it to flow into the same, and suitable means for operating the pump and the acid-distributer simultaneously.

6. An etching-machine comprising in combination a suitable cabinet or inclosure in which to mount the plate to be etched, an acid-distributor consisting of a vessel moving horizontally in the upper part of the inclosure and having a perforated bottom, a fixed reservoir above the acid-distributor and connected to it by a tubular flexible connection, a well adjacent to and receiving fluid from the bottom part of the inclosure, a pump drawing the fluid from the well and delivering it into the reservoir, and asuitable mechanism operating the pump and the acid-distributer simultaneously.

7. In an etching-machine, the combination with an inclosure in which to mount the plate to be etched, of a well adjacent the bottom thereof and a pump drawing the etching fluid from the well to near the top of the inclosure, a horizontally-moving distributing vessel with perforated bottom receiving the acid in the top of the inclosure and distributing it from there upon the work, an outlet from the inclosure into the well, and a strainer over said outlet, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix .my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLARD G. THORPE.

Witnesses:

CYRUS J. THOMPSON, HARRY WEISS. 

